How to check your credit report free, and what to look for
You get one free full report a year from each bureau, so use it
Before a bank gives you a loan or a credit card, it reads your credit report: a record of how you have handled borrowing in the past. Because that record decides whether you are approved, and at what interest rate, it pays to know what yours says. The good news is you can check it free, and more often than most people realise.
Your free entitlement. The Reserve Bank of India requires each of the four credit bureaus to give you one free full credit report every calendar year, on request. The four are TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Since the right applies to each, you can get up to four free full reports a year.
Did you know? You are entitled to one free full credit report per year from each of the four bureaus, so up to four a year in total. And checking your own report is a soft enquiry that does not lower your score, so there is no reason to avoid looking.
What is inside the report. It is more than just the three-digit score. Knowing the sections helps you read it.
How to get it. The steps below walk through it. Stick to each bureau’s official website, and avoid sites that ask for payment or push a paid subscription for something you are entitled to free.
What to look for. Do not just glance at the score. Read the detail, because errors are common and they can cost you an approval or a better rate.
Fixing errors. If something is wrong, raise a dispute with the bureau through its website. A loan you never took, a wrong late mark, or an account that should have closed can all drag your score down unfairly. Getting them corrected before you apply for a big loan can improve both your score and your terms.
The takeaway. Your credit report is free to check, from each of the four bureaus, once a year, and looking does no harm. Read it in full, fix any errors, and you will walk into a loan or card application knowing exactly where you stand.
More in this cluster: your credit score, explained, the credit cards hub, and how to get out of credit card debt.
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Pick a credit bureau
There are four in India: TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. You can get a free report from each, so you can start with any one.
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Go to the bureau's official website
Open the official site of the bureau you chose and look for the free annual credit report option. Avoid third-party sites that ask for payment or push a subscription.
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Create an account and verify your identity
Sign up with your details and verify yourself, usually with your tax ID and a one-time password to your phone. You do not need to upload documents for a basic report.
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Download your free report and score
View and download the full report, which includes your credit score. This is free once per calendar year from that bureau.
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Check it carefully and dispute any errors
Read every entry. If you spot a loan you never took, a wrong late-payment mark or outdated information, raise a dispute with the bureau to get it corrected.
Questions people ask
How can I check my credit report for free?
The Reserve Bank of India requires each of the four credit bureaus, TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark, to give you one free full credit report per calendar year on request. Go to a bureau's official website, create an account, verify your identity, and download your report with its score, at no cost.
How many times can I check my credit report free?
At least once a year from each of the four bureaus, so effectively up to four free full reports a year if you use all of them. Checking your own report is a soft enquiry and does not lower your score, so there is no harm in reviewing it regularly.
Does checking my own credit report lower my score?
No. Checking your own report is a soft enquiry, which has no effect on your score. Only hard enquiries, which happen when a lender checks your report because you applied for credit, can have a small, temporary effect. So you can review your own report as often as you like.
What should I do if I find an error in my credit report?
Raise a dispute with the bureau that issued the report, through its website. Common errors include a loan or card you never took, a payment wrongly marked as late, or an account that should have been closed. Getting errors fixed can improve your score and your chances of approval, so it is worth doing before you apply for a big loan.
Source: RBI direction (2016, effective 2017) requires each credit bureau to give one free full credit report per calendar year on request. The four bureaus are TransUnion CIBIL, Experian, Equifax and CRIF High Mark. Verify current terms on the RBI and bureau sites.
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